Funds availability a major hindrance, says head of biosafety at CBD
The sixth meeting of the parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CoP-MoP 6), a part of the eleventh Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), will take stock of the financial constraints in adopting biosafety norms in developing countries. Due to huge financial crunch, the implementation of the norms is moving at a slow pace, said Charles Gbedemah, head of biosafety, Convention on Biological Diversity, in a press conference at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre.´╗â”
He said many of the developing countries which are party to the Cartagena Protocol adopted in 2000 do not have adequate scientific mechanism and capacity to implement the safety norms. Huge funds are needed for capacity building, awareness building among the people and educating the public about the risks of the genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and living modified organisms (LMOs).
He pointed out that a supplementary protocol on liability and redress on damage arising from handling and transferring GMOs and LMOs across international boundaries and legal and administrative frameworks are yet to be formulated. But parties still have to develop measures to implement the documentation requirements in the protocol, he said.
Apart from safe handling, packaging, transport and identification of LMOs and GMOs, the five-day MoP 6 will discuss the various ways of raising adequate funds, he said. The meet will end on October 5.
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